From News Editor
The Ekiti State workers under the auspices of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), on Tuesday lamented that barely 24 hours to workers day; the scarcity of fuel has cripple activities in the state, saying that this is not the best way for the government to celebrate labour.
The Chairman TUC, Mr Sola Adigun who spoke with the Kayemo News via telephone said that the workers were told that with the removal of fuel subsidy, there won’t be queue and the crisis in the petroleum downstream sector would disappear, saying that, there can be no tenable or acceptable reason for the scarcity.
He urged the government and other stakeholders managing the sector to urgently reverse the ugly trend and make available fuel across the country so as to reduce the suffering of the masses.
“In reality it is an unpalatable experience for us and this is not the best way to celebrate workers, no matter what reason is adduced for the scarcity, it is not tenable to us. The scarcity is across the country. We have not been given convincing reasons why we are experiencing this crisis.
“Workers are finding it extremely difficult to get to their places of work. We are using this opportunity to call on all the concerned stakeholders that they should do the needful. What we are made to believe is that the removal of fuel subsidy will put an end to the crisis in the petroleum sector. For us to see long queues again after subsidy removal is unacceptable.
“This is not the best way for the government and other major stakeholders to celebrate workers day. When we made a call on behalf of workers to the Chairman of the Independent Marketers two days ago to ask why the scarcity, he said it was because of the non availability of the fuel in the deports.
“He said that presently majority of the fuel being sold at the deports are the ones going to Abuja. He said that because of that unnecessary scarcity has been created. The challenge is that there is no fuel at the depot and the little that is available is being sold to trucks going to Abuja.
“He said that the one being sold to private marketers at the depot is sold at between N800-N815 per litre to them, which explains why they are also selling at exorbitant prices,” he said.
